The Android/BankBot-YNRK malware family consists of multiple Android APK variants exhibiting advanced malicious capabilities. This banking Trojan abuses Android accessibility services to escalate privileges, allowing it to automate interactions with the device’s user interface and bypass security controls. It employs environment detection to evade analysis and implements persistence mechanisms to maintain long-term presence on infected devices. The malware masquerades as legitimate applications to deceive users and suppresses audio notifications to avoid raising suspicion during fraudulent activities. Its primary targets are financial applications and cryptocurrency wallets, from which it steals credentials and initiates unauthorized transactions. Communication with its command-and-control infrastructure is continuous, enabling remote control and data exfiltration. Indicators of compromise include several file hashes and suspicious domains such as ping.ynrkone.top and plp.*.top. Despite the absence of known exploits in the wild, the malware’s capabilities pose a medium severity threat due to its potential financial impact and stealth. The trojan’s reliance on accessibility services and UI automation makes it particularly dangerous as it can bypass many conventional security controls on Android devices. The threat is relevant to any user or organization relying on Android mobile banking or cryptocurrency applications, with a heightened risk in regions with significant Android usage and digital financial services penetration.

For European organizations, Android/BankBot-YNRK poses a substantial risk to employees and customers using Android devices for banking and cryptocurrency management. The trojan’s ability to steal credentials and perform unauthorized transactions can lead to direct financial losses and compromise of sensitive financial data. Organizations may face reputational damage, regulatory penalties under GDPR for data breaches, and operational disruptions if employee devices are compromised. The malware’s stealth features, such as suppressing notifications and masquerading as legitimate apps, increase the likelihood of prolonged undetected infections. Cryptocurrency wallets targeted by the trojan can result in irreversible asset theft, which is particularly concerning given the growing adoption of digital currencies in Europe. Additionally, the malware’s command-and-control communication can be leveraged for further attacks or lateral movement if devices are connected to corporate networks. The threat also complicates incident response due to its persistence and automation capabilities. Overall, the trojan threatens confidentiality, integrity, and availability of financial data and services accessed via Android devices within European enterprises and their customers.

1. Restrict and monitor accessibility service permissions on Android devices, allowing only trusted applications to use these services. 2. Implement mobile threat defense (MTD) solutions capable of detecting malicious behaviors such as UI automation and overlay attacks. 3. Educate users about the risks of installing apps from unofficial sources and the dangers of granting excessive permissions. 4. Monitor network traffic for connections to known malicious domains associated with BankBot-YNRK (e.g., ping.ynrkone.top, plp.e1in2.top) and block them at the network perimeter. 5. Employ application allowlisting to prevent installation of unauthorized or suspicious APKs. 6. Regularly update Android devices and banking/cryptocurrency apps to patch vulnerabilities and reduce attack surface. 7. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for banking and crypto applications to mitigate credential theft impact. 8. Conduct regular security awareness training focused on mobile threats and phishing. 9. Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools with mobile capabilities to identify anomalous behaviors indicative of malware. 10. Establish incident response procedures specific to mobile device compromises, including rapid containment and forensic analysis.